The proposed Eagleton Quarry site – located within the local government area of Port Stephens – has been lodged on behalf of the Eagleton Rock Company.
Submitted to the Department of Planning and Environment for consideration, the proposed hard rock quarry reserve would service demand for aggregate products in the Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney regions.
If approved, it would see up to 20 jobs created in the local area, with an additional 15,000 heavy vehicles on the road each year between the hours of 5am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 6am to 12pm on Saturday.
The company’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proposed that the proposed quarry site will have a production capacity of up to 600,000 tonnes per year over a 30-year life span, nearly double the output of the 350,000 that was first proposed back in 2012.
Local residents were asked to voice their concerns over the proposed development in the form of answering questionnaires.
Interestingly enough, 47 per cent of those interviewed reported not seeing any benefit of the quarry going ahead but acknowledged that it could potentially result in local employment, economic contribution and road upgrades, as outlined in the EIS.
Similarly, Glen Innes Severn Council in Matheson, NSW, has also lodged a stage two development application for a hard rock quarry. If approved, the quarry development plans to extract up to 300,000 tonnes per year over 30 years, with plans to use the supply materials for public road construction and maintenance.
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